How to Build a Wood Foot Locker

Written by alex smith

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A foot locker is a convenient place to store things. It can double as a piece of furniture if needed, and you can make it to any size that you need. Building a foot locker out of wood is a fairly simple project, made easier by the fact that you can have a lumberyard cut all of the pieces for you. All you have to do is screw them together and add the hardware.

Skill level:

Moderate

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Things you need

1-by-12-inch board

Tape measure

Saw

1-by-4-inch board

1/2-inch plywood

Drill

Wood screws

Screwdriver

Paint or stain (optional)

Hinges

Lock (optional)

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Instructions

1

Cut a 1-by-12-inch board into two 30-inch and two 16-inch pieces. Cut a 1-by-4-inch board into pieces of the same length.

2

Cut two rectangles out of high quality, 1/2-inch plywood. They should both measure 30 by 17.5 inches.

3

Assemble a box with the 1-by-12 pieces. The 30-inch pieces will sandwich the 16-inch pieces between them, resulting in a box that measures 30 by 17.5 (the 1-by-12 is actually only 3/4-inch thick).

4

Drill small pilot holes through the 30-inch boards and into the sides of the 16-inch boards. Each corner gets three pilot holes: one near the top, one near the bottom and one in the middle.

5

Screw the box together with 1.5-inch wood screws through the pilot holes.

6

Assemble the 1-by-4 boards into a box following steps 3-5. Each corner gets two screws instead of three.

7

Position the plywood rectangles on top of the boxes. Drill pilot holes every five inches and screw the rectangles in place with 1.5-inch wood screws.

8

Paint or stain the two boxes as desired. If this foot locker is for your child's bedroom, let him help you paint it. You can also leave a natural wood finish if you prefer.

9

Place the small box upside-down on top of the large box. It will form the lid.

10

Hold two hinges against the back seam and mark the positions of their holes on the wood with a pencil.

11

Drill pilot holes for the hinges.

12

Screw the hinges in place with 1/2-inch wood screws.

13

Attach a lock on the front (if desired) following the same method as the hinges.